It\u2019s late July. Blink and it\u2019ll be Labor Day, with NHL training camps approaching on the horizon. That\u2019s why it\u2019s prudent to get a head start on your competition with some early fantasy hockey draft prep. Whom should you snag in the first round? Which players gained or lost value over the offseason? Who are the top rookies, sleepers, breakouts and busts? I answer all those questions via my top 300 fantasy rankings here at Daily Faceoff.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re new to this annual list and don\u2019t know the ground rules of my fantasy rankings, be sure to read these disclaimers before diving in:<\/p>\n
(a) The rankings represent a working list that changes with each edition and will be updated with increasing frequency as the season approaches. Version 1 represents my initial impression after examining every team\u2019s 2024-25 stats, offseason roster additions and subtractions and prospect lists. Version 2 in mid to late August constitutes a self-adjustment after giving my rankings a few weeks to breathe and gaining perspective on which players I under- or over-ranked. As training camp and the pre-season arrive, Versions 3 and beyond will reflect injuries, positional battles, prospects making or not making their teams, line deployments and so on. By October, a.k.a fantasy draft season, you can expect pretty much daily updates leading up to the start of the NHL season on Oct. 7.<\/p>\n
(b) The rankings are for redraft leagues and based on the following stat categories:\u00a0goals, assists, plus-minus, shots, power-play points, hits, blocks, wins, goals-against average, saves, save percentage and shutouts.\u00a0Players who offer production across a variety of categories, such as Matthew Knies or MacKenzie Weegar, get boosts. So do the precious few goaltenders who log heavy workloads and can compile beefy counting stats, most notably reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.<\/p>\n
(c) Real-life value does not always translate equally to fantasy value, and I typically use Robert Thomas and Mark Stone as examples. Both are tremendous real-life players. In fantasy? Mildly overrated. The don\u2019t score many goals, don\u2019t shoot the puck much and don\u2019t throw hits. You\u2019ll therefore see some inferior real-life players ranked ahead of them on this board.<\/p>\n
(d) Upside is everything, especially in early editions of these rankings. I am fairly harsh on the boring veteran types who get 40 to 50 points a year in their sleep, such as Alex Killorn or Kyle Palmieri. You\u2019ll see some rookies who aren\u2019t even guaranteed to make their teams ranked higher than them. Why? Because the boring vets can be found on the waiver wire at any time unless you play in a 32-team league. Use your late-round picks on upside plays. That might\u2019ve landed you Lane Hutson last season.<\/p>\n
(e) During the incredibly lengthy process of reviewing rosters, ranking players, writing bios and constantly cutting and pasting names, I sometimes accidentally delete or omit a prominent player. I\u2019m good for one a year, at least. If I do that, and you notice a conspicuous absence, hit me up on Twitter @MLarkinHockey and let me know.<\/p>\n
With that, the 2025-26 rankings begin\u2026now!<\/p>\n
1. Nathan MacKinnon, C, Avalanche: It\u2019s a virtual tie between the big three at the top for me, but the team situation decides it: MacKinnon\u2019s Colorado Avalanche<\/a> are in decline, and they\u2019ll need every game they can get from their horse if they want to keep earning playoff spots. No load management for Nate = he\u2019s only missed three games the past two years, meaning he\u2019s a lock for 115 or more points. Has also led the league in shots four times in the past seven seasons.<\/p>\n 2. Leon Draisaitl, C, Oilers: Second in the NHL in goals and points over the past nine seasons. He\u2019s consistently the safest player on the board \u2013\u00a0so safe that missing 11 games last season didn\u2019t even stop him from winning the Rocket Richard Trophy.<\/p>\n 3. Connor McDavid, C, Oilers: The best annual bet of any player to get 100 points every year. But McDavid isn\u2019t the No. 1 fantasy player for me anymore. That one 64-goal year aside, he isn\u2019t the goal-scoring threat his superstar peers are, and because it\u2019s Stanley Cup or bust, the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> will load-manage the hell out of him if he shows any wear and tear late in the regular season \u2013\u00a0a.k.a. fantasy playoff time in head-to-head leagues.<\/p>\n 4. Nikita Kucherov, RW, Lightning: Almost feels like I\u2019m disrespecting the two-time defending scoring champ by ranking him fourth. We\u2019re splitting hairs with the top four, and I wouldn\u2019t fault anyone taking Kucherov as high as first overall, but he\u2019s the oldest of the quartet at 32, and that\u2019s why he slots here for me.<\/p>\n 5. Cale Makar, D, Avalanche: I\u2019m greedy. I still want that best-in-a-generation, 110-point season from him. But when the second 30-goal season from a blueliner this century, with 92 points and a Norris Trophy, leaves me wanting more, that says a lot about how incredible Makar is.<\/p>\n 6. David Pastrnak, RW, Bruins: Phew. He showed last season he can still be an all-world scorer even when the team around him bottoms out. Also hasn\u2019t missed a game in three seasons. His numbers have trended downward three consecutive seasons, too, but that makes Pastrnak \u201conly\u201d a mid first-rounder now.<\/p>\n 7. Kirill Kaprizov, LW, Wild: In exactly half a season, he was on pace for a 50-62-112 campaign, his best yet. He\u2019s a true superstar. He\u2019s also missed significant chunks of time in two of his past three seasons. He\u2019s as good as the guys above him but a bigger injury risk than them. Here\u2019s hoping he gives us 70-plus games in a contract year, as he\u2019ll be spectacular.<\/p>\n 8. Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets: I\u2019m a notorious undervaluer of goalies in fantasy because they\u2019re so fickle; even the elite options can go bust any given year. But Hellebuyck is the exception, the cheat code that gives you an edge over every other GM, as he\u2019s the only goalie who is elite every single year.<\/p>\n 9. Mikko Rantanen, RW, Stars: Which \u2018Moose\u2019 is the real one: the guy who struggled to find his game after midseason trades to the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> and Dallas Stars<\/a>? Or the guy who ripped it up for nine goals and 22 points in 18 playoff games? Given he was a Hall-of-Fame grade talent for his career leading up to those trades, I\u2019ll take the bigger sample size and predict a settled-in Rantanen returns to his elite self. Maybe he doesn\u2019t match his Colorado highs, but 40-plus goals and 90-plus points sound about right.<\/p>\n 10. Auston Matthews, C, Maple Leafs: The upside hasn\u2019t gone anywhere. He remains this generation\u2019s best goal scorer, with a ceiling at least five goals north of anyone else\u2019s. But there\u2019s just so much downside now: the loss of Mitch Marner as his winger, plus the looming threat of a nagging injury that sapped Matthews\u2019 mid-range shooting ability. He could still turn a massive profit and give you a top-two overall fantasy season, but he could also miss 15-plus games and return second-round value again. Remember, as elite as he is, the counting stats were just 33 goals and 78 points last season.<\/p>\n 11. Kyle Connor, LW, Jets: His average season over the past six years: 40 goals, 86 points, 280 shots. Let\u2019s put some respect on his name. An incredibly reliable fantasy asset who touched a new ceiling at 97 points in 2024-25.<\/p>\n 12. Jack Eichel, C, Golden Knights: Delivered a career-best 94 points last season. With Marner in tow as his probable new right winger, could Eichel give us his best goal output yet? If he\u2019s ever going to score 40, it\u2019s now. Even if he doesn\u2019t, he\u2019s a first-rounder, albeit one who has not reached the 80-game mark since his rookie year.<\/p>\n 13. Mitch Marner, RW, Golden Knights: Only seven players have more points since he entered the league in 2016-17. Does he get 100 again in a Vegas uniform? Maybe a slight downgrade in supporting cast, but this is still a fertile fantasy environment, so the 90s feels like a safe range.<\/p>\n 14. Jack Hughes, C, Devils: The perfect way to summarize Hughes is that he averages 40 goals and 98 points per 82 games over his past four seasons and that he\u2019s played 49, 78, 62 and 62 games over that span. A superstar who has truly earned the injury-prone label. You have to price in the risk at this point.<\/p>\n 15. Brady Tkachuk, LW, Senators: Never thought I\u2019d say this, but\u2026is Tkachuk drifting toward mildly overrated in fantasy? He\u2019s a monster who gets you 30 goals, 300 shots and 200 hits. But he\u2019s topped 35 goals and 75 points once apiece. Does Brady\u2019s combo-meal stat capability still give you a massive edge over the field, or should you grab a 90-point guy here and pick some Brady Lite players (Matthew Knies, Tom Wilson, Will Cuylle, etc.) many rounds later?<\/p>\n 16. Quinn Hughes, D, Canucks: Only Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Makar, Denis Potvin and Ray Bourque average more points per game among D-men in NHL history. Even with 14 games missed last season, Hughes was an elite producer. He\u2019ll never be an asset in hits and blocks, but the scoring is so good that it doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n 17. Evan Bouchard, D, Oilers: Incredibly productive in Edmonton\u2019s dominant attack, and Bouchard is also incredibly durable, missing two games total across his past four seasons. Given how potent his shot is, he could reach 20 goals one of these years on top of the 70 to 80 points.<\/p>\n 18. Rasmus Dahlin, D, Sabres: Produces offense at a rate a tick below the god-tier fantasy blueliners, but Dahlin also adds a triple-digit hit and block total. He\u2019s arguably the best multi-category threat among all fantasy D-men now.<\/p>\n 19. William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs: Seventh in goals and 11th in points over the past two seasons. Possible he gets extra time with Matthews this year, too, if the Torontio Maple Leafs<\/a> struggle to replace Marner on the top line. Also has missed one total game in the past four seasons. As safe a pick as you\u2019ll find in the early rounds.<\/p>\n 20. Tage Thompson, C, Sabres: The big fella\u2019s blazing one-timer makes him a power-play weapon, but he led the league in even-strength goals last year, too. Never a great bet to play a full season, but he can challenge for the Rocket Richard if he plays his customary 75 or so games.<\/p>\n 21. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Lightning: After back surgery delayed his start and dragged down his numbers in 2023-24, \u2018Vasy\u2019 returned with a vengeance last season and reminded us why he\u2019s an all-time great fantasy netminder. Given the injury year is the anomaly, I\u2019m OK trusting that he\u2019s back.<\/p>\n 22. Artemi Panarin, LW, Rangers: He was never going to duplicate the 120-point season given it came at 32 years old. The Bread Man can still help plenty with point totals in the high 80s to low 90s. He turns 34 in October, so the decline has begun, but the contract-year factor<\/a> offsets the aging a bit.<\/p>\n 23. Tim Stutzle, C, Senators: I thought he\u2019d be a 100-point guy by now. Instead, he\u2019s \u201conly\u201d a point-per-gamer largely because his goal-scoring rate has fluctuated so much. Still, he\u2019s only 23. It\u2019s not too late for him to level up and become a first-round-grade player, especially since he adds 100-plus hits to his stat line every season.<\/p>\n 24. Zach Werenski, D, Blue Jackets: It may feel like the 82-point explosion is a high watermark Werenski won\u2019t reach again. But hold on. The Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> team around him is rapidly improving. If guys like Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko keep going to the moon, the assists will pile up on top of Werenski\u2019s always-robust goal total, and we have ourselves a point-per-game defenseman again if he can stay healthy.<\/p>\n 25. Jake Oettinger, G, Stars: Above-average workload, above-average win total, above-average rate stats, and at 26, he\u2019s still young enough by goalie standards to level up one more time. Has the ceiling to be the top player at his position one of these years.<\/p>\n 26. Brayden Point, C, Lightning: At least 42 goals and 82 points in three consecutive seasons. One of the best and most underrated sources of goals in fantasy hockey.<\/p>\n 27. Sam Reinhart, RW, Panthers: The 57-goal Reinhart wasn\u2019t the real one, but the 39-goal guy from last season was. He\u2019s an even better real-life hockey player as an elite two-way winger on the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers<\/a>, but he\u2019s a rock-solid second-round pick in fantasy now, too.<\/p>\n 28. Clayton Keller, LW, Mammoth: Durable and skilled, he\u2019s a reliable source of point-per-game production. And as last season\u2019s rise to 90 points showed us, he can scrape his ceiling as the Utah Mammoth<\/a> team around him continues to add weapons.<\/p>\n 29. Jason Robertson, LW, Stars: So maybe he\u2019s not the perennial 100-point monster we thought he was becoming a couple years back. That\u2019s OK. The \u201cdisappointing\u201d version of Robertson still gives us 80 points in his sleep. At 25, he\u2019s capable of maintaining this level, at worst, for many more seasons.<\/p>\n 30. Jesper Bratt, RW, Devils: He still doesn\u2019t feel like a household name, and we should keep working that to our advantage. Four straight years of at least 73 points, a career high of 88 last season, and he sprinkles in a hit per game. So underrated.<\/p>\n 31. Lane Hutson, D, Canadiens: A fun and difficult player to rank. If he gets 66 points as a rookie, is that the floor? Is he going to be Quinn Hughes 2.0? I\u2019m a believer, so I\u2019ve ranked Hutson as such given the ascending talent around him on the Montreal Canadiens<\/a>. Just think about his skill, his role, his teammates, and it\u2019s difficult to imagine him not piling up points again.<\/p>\n 32. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers: The future Hall of Famer is a floor play rather than a ceiling play entering his age-37 season. He\u2019ll get you 50 starts, 30 wins, a goals-against average south of 2.50 and a save percentage north of .900. Safe is gold in fantasy hockey when it comes to goalies.<\/p>\n 33. Nick Suzuki, C, Canadiens: I was wrong about Suzuki. I thought he\u2019d top out as a Nico Hischier type, a handy No. 2 fantasy pivot, but I didn\u2019t factor in how much Montreal\u2019s improvement as a team would elevate Suzuki\u2019s ceiling. We count on him for 30 goals and 85 points now, and he\u2019s shown the upside for more.<\/p>\n 34. Brandon Hagel, LW, Lightning: I didn\u2019t realize his ceiling was this high. Sheesh, would Chicago like a do-over on that trade from 2022? Hagel got 35 goals and 90 points with no power-play goals. I\u2019m keeping his ranking a bit conservative only because he\u2019s more of great all-around player in real life than a slick-mitted scoring machine, so I want to see him do it again.<\/p>\n 35. Jake Guentzel, LW, Lightning: You can win your league by loading up on the boring veterans like Guentzel. He\u2019ll get you 35 to 40 goals, give or take 80 points, and he also led the NHL in power-play goals last season, giving him some extra category juice.<\/p>\n 36. Lucas Raymond, RW, Red Wings: Hyper-intelligent playmaker, first-line role, 23 years old, still getting better. Checks so many boxes for me. The supporting cast isn\u2019t improved, though, so I envision a stat line similar to last season\u2019s 27-53-80.<\/p>\n 37. Filip Forsberg, LW, Predators: Two seasons ago represented the career year. But it\u2019s encouraging that his regression, on a very bad Nashville Predators <\/a>team, still yielded 31-45-76 with 281 shots and 151 hits. An extremely useful stat line, and it\u2019s especially encouraging to see the previously injury-prone Forsberg play 82 games in consecutive campaigns.<\/p>\n 38. Sebastian Aho, C, Hurricanes: He\u2019s not the most exciting fantasy commodity, nor does he have a league-winner ceiling, but he\u2019s a tremendous floor bet in the third round, always providing something in the 30-40-70 range, occasionally a bit more.<\/p>\n 39. Victor Hedman, D, Lightning: He\u2019s still delivering numbers worthy of a top-30 pick, not just top-40, but he turns 35 later this year, so he has more downside than the D1s listed ahead of him. Still a legitimate D1 pick for your team, though.<\/p>\n 40. Adrian Kempe, LW, Kings: Just a winning fantasy pick every year, serving up something in the range of 30 goals and 70 points, but with strong shot and hit totals to boot. Feels like he\u2019s at his ceiling, though you never know what the contract year factor could bring if he begins the season unsigned for 2026-27.<\/p>\n 41. Sidney Crosby, C, Penguins: It\u2019s remarkable to see what Sid\u2019s done in his twilight years, cresting 90 points in his age-36 and age-37 seasons. But the team around him continues to get worse \u2013 and may soon get much worse should the Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> sell off more pieces this summer. One of these years, his production will dip significantly, even if it\u2019s not his fault. Don\u2019t count me among the people anticipating he\u2019ll be traded, either.<\/p>\n 42. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Capitals: Ovi represents somewhat of a trap coming off an amazing season in which he scored 44 goals in 65 games, despite breaking his leg during the season, and broke Wayne Gretzky\u2019s all-time goals record. This year, Ovechkin won\u2019t have that unstoppable momentum and teammates force-feeding him during a record chase. He may even get load managed a bit as the Washington Capitals<\/a> prioritize winning during the final year of his contract. He\u2019s also 40 this September. It\u2019s difficult to envision a repeat of his magical 2024-25.<\/p>\n 43. Matthew Tkachuk, RW, Panthers: Hard player to rank. Will he be healed in time from his serious groin injury to start the season, or will the Panthers stash him on LTIR? His ranking could climb or fall quite a bit depending on what we learn come training camp. Consider his current slotting just a placeholder.<\/p>\n 44. Mark Scheifele, C, Jets: Coming off a great year, and I suspect others will outbid me for him. I see a 32-year-old whose calling card is excellent shooting accuracy and not volume. Other players in this range have more upside and category juice, in my opinion.<\/p>\n 45. Connor Bedard, C, Blackhawks: I still believe in the sublime talent \u2013 look how many years it took MacKinnon to take off \u2013\u00a0but the Chicago Blackhawks<\/a> haven\u2019t added much to help Bedard going into 2025-26. I hope to see him improve into a 40-40-80 type of player this year, but I can\u2019t rank him above the guys who post those numbers in their sleep.<\/p>\n 46. Igor Shesterkin, G, Rangers: Shesterkin is an incredibly gifted and athletic goaltender, one of the best in the game. But we saw last year how much a bad team situation can drain the puck-stopper\u2019s fantasy value. The New York Rangers<\/a> did add Vladislav Gavrikov to help on defense, but how much better are they than last year\u2019s non-playoff team? That\u2019s why I\u2019m playing the Shesterkin rank conservatively.<\/p>\n 47. J.T. Miller, C, Rangers: Despite the Elias Pettersson drama, the midseason trade, all the theatrics surrounding Miller, he delivered 70 points, with a bushel of hits. The fantasy value remains strong for the power forward, though he\u2019s likely beginning a decline at 32. He\u2019ll be highly useful, but don\u2019t expect a 100-point player anymore.<\/p>\n 48. Martin Necas, RW, Avalanche: He was leading the NHL in scoring as of late November. His puck skills are not in question. He did tail off after a strong start post-trade to Colorado, but it\u2019s tough to argue how good his fantasy situation is sharing the ice with guys like MacKinnon and Makar.<\/p>\n 49. Aleksander Barkov, C, Panthers: The two Stanley Cups and three Selke Trophies matter most to Barkov and the Panthers. The regular-season scoring \u2013\u00a0and fantasy value \u2013 are secondary. He\u2019ll produce a point per game or better when he\u2019s out there, but the fewest games he\u2019s missed in a season over the past four years is nine. As long as you know you\u2019re drafting 65 to 70 games of him, you\u2019re fine.<\/p>\n 50. Adam Fox, D, Rangers: Four straight seasons with double-digit goals and between 61 and 74 points. When you\u2019re so consistently good, it\u2019s easy to get taken for granted. Fox feels like a \u201cboring veteran\u201d play now in fantasy. Nothing wrong with that.<\/p>\n 51. Travis Konecny, RW, Flyers: A consistent bright spot on some weak teams in recent years. Could we soon see a Keller-style mini glow up, in which an improving supporting cast turns a 75-point player into a 90-point player? It wouldn\u2019t be a massive surprise. I\u2019d like to see what a Michkov-Zegras-Konecny unit could do.<\/p>\n 52. Macklin Celebrini, C, Sharks: Was plenty valuable as an 18-year-old rookie. Could easily break through as a top-30ish player in Year 2. I\u2019ve ranked him as if he becomes a 75-point player who drains your plus-minus still playing on a bad San Jose Sharks<\/a> team.<\/p>\n 53. Josh Morrissey, D, Jets: Now three years running on a level elite enough to be your D1. He\u2019s a safe bet for 10 goals and 60 points at minimum. Has produced similar numbers to Hedman in recent years; I have Morrissey slightly lower only because Hedman toils on the league\u2019s reigning No. 1 offense.<\/p>\n 54. Wyatt Johnston, C, Stars: I still think we can get Johnston at a slight value for one more year. His slow start suppressed his overall numbers: he went 31-33-64 in his final 65 games of the season. He also left a sour taste with an oddly bad playoff run. So there\u2019s a chance you can snag him outside the top 50 and watch him break into the 80-point tier.<\/p>\n 55. Cole Caufield, RW, Canadiens: Finally delivered that first 30-goal campaign. Entering his fifth full season, has he reached his peak? Or could we see him become a 40-goal guy this year?<\/p>\n 56. Matt Boldy, LW, Wild: Super talented. Has established himself as a 25-goal, 70-point player at worst. But his ice time and shot output increased last season. It wouldn\u2019t be a stretch to predict a career year in the 35-45-80 range.<\/p>\n 57. Dustin Wolf, G, Flames: Even if the Calgary Flames<\/a> don\u2019t break through as a playoff team quite yet, Wolf was plenty valuable last year when they fell short on a tiebreaker. A 29-16-8, 2.64, .910, Calder Trophy runner-up season could represent the floor. The ceiling is he becomes a top-five fantasy tender. I lean more toward the floor again, which is still great.<\/p>\n 58. Matvei Michkov, LW, Flyers: He was better than a point-per-game player over the last third of the season. His raw offensive skills are jaw-droppingly good. And he\u2019s free of John Tortorella\u2019s shenanigans. To. The. Moon. This is the definition of a league winner.<\/p>\n 59. Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs: Had 29 goals and 182 hits in his breakout year, but he did that with only five power-play goals. He\u2019s a net-front beast who should do far more damage with the man advantage this time. He\u2019s capable of adding another five goals to that total and being your team\u2019s discount Brady Tkachuk.<\/p>\n 60. Seth Jarvis, RW, Hurricanes: He\u2019s a great real-life player because he\u2019s such a strong defensive forward on top of providing first-line offense. In fantasy, he\u2019ll give you at least 30 goals and 65 points, with above-average contributions in shots and hits. Jarvis is also just 23, so he might not be done ascending.<\/p>\n 61. Logan Thompson, G, Capitals: He was a top-two fantasy goalie for two thirds of the season. After he inked a lucrative contract extension in late January, he had an .877 save percentage. I\u2019m hoping that was mostly just him wearing down as he adjusted to his starter\u2019s workload. It gives me a tiny bit of pause for 2025-26, but Thompson has the size, ability and track record to remain a top-10 tendy.<\/p>\n 62. Adam Fantilli, C, Blue Jackets: The surface stats already showed a breakout: 31 goals, 54 points, 191 shots, 113 hits. But Fantilli was better than that in the second half. He went off for 24 goals and 39 points in 44 games from Jan. 1 onward. As you can see from his ranking, he\u2019s someone I\u2019m willing to reach on. He has a superstar ceiling in the next three to five years.<\/p>\n 63. Alex Tuch, RW, Sabres: Averages 33 goals per 82 games across his past three seasons as a Buffalo Sabre<\/a>, and he\u2019s a major contributor in blocked shots among forwards as well, with a league-best 113 last season. I wish I felt more confident in the team around him. A trade would be welcome.<\/p>\n 64. Kirill Marchenko, RW, Blue Jackets: He can be a healthier, more reliable version of Valeri Nichushkin. Marchenko topped 30 goals and 70 points in his breakout year, and his stellar two-way acumen makes him an asset in plus-minus leagues to boot.<\/p>\n 65. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, Avalanche: Was a certified fantasy stud once the Avs acquired him. And I still like him as a low-end G1 this year. But I\u2019m not expecting him to exceed what he did last season, as the top-heavy Avs are trending in the wrong direction<\/a> and could even slide closer to the playoff bubble in 2025-26.<\/p>\n 66. Alex DeBrincat, LW, Red Wings: At least 27 goals in seven of his eight full seasons, with occasional spikes like last year\u2019s 39. A great early-round pick for goals if you targeted a goalie or defenseman with your first couple selections.<\/p>\n 67. Darcy Kuemper, G, Kings: Coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The Los Angeles Kings<\/a> team in front of him last year was elite defensively. This one looks weaker on the blueline after losing Gavrikov, so maybe Kuemper has to face a couple more high-quality chances per game, which could lower his floor ever so slightly.<\/p>\n 68. Jordan Kyrou, RW, Blues: Durable, in his prime and provides extremely consistent totals. When you pick him, you\u2019re guaranteeing yourself 30 goals and 65 points at a minimum.<\/p>\n 69. Linus Ullmark, G, Senators: He did get a bit nicked up as he adjusted to starting more frequently, but he was solid in Year 1 as a Sen, and I expect a repeat of last year\u2019s numbers on an above-average defensive team. Not his 2022-23 Vezina form, but a respectable low-end G1 or luxury G2.<\/p>\n 70. Robert Thomas, C, Blues: A great real-life player, still the rich man\u2019s Mark Stone in fantasy. Thomas will give you excellent assist and point totals while barely breaking even in shots and hurting you in hits.<\/p>\n 71. Andrei Svechnikov, LW, Hurricanes: It\u2019s been seven seasons now. I have to stop hyping him as a category monster who\u2019ll become a top-20 fantasy player. I think we know who he is now \u2013\u00a0and it\u2019s still something plenty useful. He averages 26 goals, 62 points, 223 shots and per 82 games in his career. That\u2019s a fair stat line to target \u2013\u00a0minus about 10 percent since he always misses time.<\/p>\n 72. Roope Hintz, C, Stars: I was so bullish on Hintz as a rising star a couple years back. He\u2019s still an excellent, well-rounded real-life player and a great No. 2 center for fantasy. But he\u2019s settled in as a solid but unexciting asset who gives you 25 to 30 goals and 65 to 70 points.<\/p>\n 73. Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights: Hill\u2019s rate stats have drifted toward league-average as he handles the largest workloads of his career to date. But if you want to wait on a goalie and load up on offense in the first few rounds, Hill is a safe pick since he\u2019s a near lock for 45 starts and 30 wins on a great team. Also: he could exceed last year\u2019s 50 starts if Vegas doesn\u2019t replace Ilya Samsonov with a veteran No. 2.<\/p>\n 74. Nico Hischier, C, Devils: A shooting percentage spike fuelled last year\u2019s jump to 35 goals. He\u2019s more of a 25 to 30 goal guy who will hang just below the point-per-game line and play great defensive hockey in real life.<\/p>\n 75. Ilya Sorokin, G, Islanders: Such a difficult player to rank this year. We know he\u2019s great. We know he\u2019ll start 60 games and help you in the volume categories. We also know the New York Islanders<\/a> are retooling and just traded their No. 1 defenseman in Noah Dobson. The Matthew Schaefer era begins, which is exciting, but it\u2019s safe to say it\u2019s a transitional period for the team in front of Sorokin, and that should continue to suppress his rate stats.<\/p>\n 76. Vincent Trocheck, C, Rangers: Here\u2019s another piece of evidence in the \u201cIs Brady Tkachuk overrated in fantasy?\u201d argument. In his three seasons as a Ranger, Trocheck averages 24 goals, 67 points, 214 shots and 190 hits. He\u2019s 32 and wrapping up his prime on a team in decline at the moment, so I wouldn\u2019t reach, but he sure is valuable.<\/p>\n 77. JJ Peterka, LW, Mammoth: Was a strong value pick last season. This time around, maybe a slight risk of overvaluation simply because there\u2019s hype around his trade to Utah. He played primarily with Thompson in Buffalo, so Peterka isn\u2019t actually getting a linemate upgrade. I like Peterka to produce a line similar to his (excellent) 27-41-68 of last season.<\/p>\n 78. Dylan Larkin, C, Red Wings: Four straight years between 30 and 33 goals and between\u00a069 and 79 points. Reaching on young talent is fun, but it\u2019s always smart to load up on these reliable late-prime vets in the early middle rounds.<\/p>\n 79. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Hurricanes: Over the past three seasons, Ehlers sits 16th among all NHL forwards in points per 60 at 5-on-5. The Jets played him south of 16 minutes a night over that span. Here\u2019s hoping the Canes let the man cook. Even 18 minutes a night could yield his first 30-goal, 70-point campaign.<\/p>\n 80. John Tavares, C, Maple Leafs: Far from finished. Tavares\u2019 38 goals were his second most in a Toronto uniform. He has become an asset in his, too. But he turns 35 in September and had easily the highest shooting percentage of his career last season, so I\u2019m envisioning something more like 30-35-65 this time.<\/p>\n 81. Dylan Holloway, LW, Blues: What a beast. His first-round pedigree suggests the breakout last season was real. In terms of his playing style and raw ability, I\u2019m not sure the ceiling is that much higher than the 26-37-63 he put up last year, but I trust Holloway to repeat it and provide a big boost in banger leagues with his hits.<\/p>\n 82. Roman Josi, D, Predators: Just a season removed from being a truly elite fantasy commodity. I recommend bidding cautiously, however. On top of the Preds coming off a terrible year, Josi is 35, and it remains to be seen how the postural tachycardia syndrome affects his availability to start the season.<\/p>\n 83. MacKenzie Weegar, D, Flames: The points ceiling isn\u2019t as high as the elite guys\u2019, but in banger formats, Weegar is a D1 or at worst a high-end D2. He does absolutely everything, category-wise. The best combo-meal blueline pick after Dahlin.<\/p>\n 84. Dylan Guenther, RW, Mammoth: He\u2019s a sniper and should keep maturing into a front-line NHL forward. Had 27 goals in 70 games in his first full NHL season. Next stop, 40? It wouldn\u2019t surprise me if he stacks a bigger breakout on top of last year\u2019s breakout.<\/p>\n 85. Jacob Markstrom, G, Devils: Because he\u2019s 35, coming off an injury-shortened season and has a very good 1B behind him in Jake Allen, Markstrom\u2019s upside isn\u2019t what it was. But he still has a high floor as someone who will start 45-plus games on a probable playoff team.<\/p>\n 86. Jake Sanderson, D, Senators: He\u2019s still just 23, he skates like the wind, and the jump to 57 points last season probably wasn\u2019t his last one. I could see him cresting the 60s this season.<\/p>\n 87. Leo Carlsson, C, Ducks: We have liftoff. Finished his year with 29 points in 31 games, but since his overall stat line doesn\u2019t pop, there\u2019s a window to steal him a round or two early in more casual leagues. Last chance to board before the full breakout.<\/p>\n 88. Anthony Stolarz, G, Maple Leafs: On a per-game basis, Stolarz is right there with Connor Hellebuyck as the best-performing netminder of the past two years. Stolarz should continue to provide elite rate stats. But I like him as a high-end G2 rather than a G1 due to injury risk and the fact that Joseph Woll will still play a lot.<\/p>\n 89. Logan Cooley, C, Mammoth: The mitts are nifty, the trajectory is steady, and while he\u2019s going to be more of a playmaker than a category monster, Cooley isn\u2019t a zero in the hits department despite his small stature. Like his linemate Guenther, Cooley could level up in a big way for a second consecutive season.<\/p>\n 90. Mark Stone, RW, Golden Knights: I\u2019m seemingly forever out on Stone, as while some see a reliable point-per-game guy, I see a great real-life player who doesn\u2019t play a full season in fantasy and doesn\u2019t help in goals, shots or hits. And now he has Marner potentially pushing him down the depth chart, too.<\/p>\n 91. Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks: He broke out last season\u2026in the underlying stats. The goals saved above expected tell us he\u2019s a No. 1. But the surface numbers were pedestrian playing on a terrible defensive club. Hopefully that masks his value. The Ducks should improve this year, and Dostal is one of the best goalie picks on the board, a G2 who could return G1 results with John Gibson out of the way.<\/p>\n 92. Mathew Barzal, C, Islanders: He\u2019s so gifted. You watch him live and think he\u2019d be a perennial 100-point scorer. But his 80-point effort of 2023-24 is the only time he\u2019s eclipsed 60 points in the past six seasons, largely because he struggles to stay healthy. I\u2019d love to see Barzal on another NHL team that utilizes his speed better.<\/p>\n 93. Moritz Seider, D, Red Wings: I\u2019ve been waiting for Seider to break through and become an all-around category dominator, but with the Wings failing to improve this summer, we\u2019re likely in for another year of \u201conly\u201d being a poor man\u2019s Weegar, helping you in many categories while being merely an above-average offensive asset.<\/p>\n 94. Filip Gustavsson, G, Wild: He\u2019s been excellent in two of his past three seasons, and while Jesper Wallstedt remains the probable long-term answer in goal, he won\u2019t steal any more work than Marc-Andre Fleury did. You\u2019re in very good shape if Gustavsson is your G2.<\/p>\n 95. Timo Meier, LW, Devils: The last few years, you needed to reach to nab Meier in banger formats because of his multi-faceted contributions. Now he feels like somewhat of a value pick coming off a couple quiet seasons. He\u2019s not as sexy as before, but 25 goals, 55 points, 200 shots and 120 hits represent a helluva floor.<\/p>\n 96. Carter Verhaeghe, LW, Panthers: I actually like him as a buy-low coming off a down year. He\u2019s still just 29 and shot a career-worst 8.3 percent last year. I expect he\u2019ll return to a 30-40-70 type of line this season.<\/p>\n 97. Nazem Kadri, C, Flames: Aren\u2019t 34-year-olds supposed to decline? Instead, Kadri scored a career-high 35 goals last season. He still shoots the puck a ton and plays a lot of minutes, so he remains in the fantasy circle of trust even though he\u2019ll be 35 in October.<\/p>\n 98. Mika Zibanejad, C, Rangers: Still a safe enough floor play, but he\u2019s been steadily declining for a couple of years now in his 30s. I\u2019m not expecting a return to point-per-game production unless a trade reinvigorates him.<\/p>\n 99. Drake Batherson, RW, Senators: You can set your watch to a floor of 20 goals, 60 points and triple digit hits at this point. Feels like he\u2019s done levelling up, but the prime version of Batherson helps us plenty.<\/p>\n 100. Kevin Fiala, LW, Kings: He\u2019ll always be streaky, making him more valuable in roto than H2H, but the end results will be there in the form of 25-35 goals, 60-70 points and well north of 200 shots.<\/p>\n 101. Dylan Strome, C, Capitals: Can you tell I\u2019m a bit wary of the Capitals this year? Almost everyone on that team had a career year in 2024-25, including Strome, who shot a personal-best 19.5 percent to get his 29 goals. I think he\u2019s more of a 25-goal guy again, and if his teammates regress in finishing their chances, too, the assists come back down and we get more of a typical 25-40-65 Strome season.<\/p>\n 102. Matt Duchene, C, Stars: Did Duchene actually string consecutive good seasons together? I\u2019m blown away. I\u2019m still not his biggest fan in fantasy. Not much category juice to accompany his scoring and carries downside as a 34-year-old with a history of inconsistency.<\/p>\n 103. Ivan Demidov, RW, Canadiens: My prediction: this kid is a first-round pick in fantasy drafts five years from now. He\u2019s incredibly talented, with Kucherov-like hands and moves. For now, let\u2019s calm down, remember Demidov is 19 and settle for what I believe will be a Calder Trophy season. Let\u2019s say 25 goals and 65 points?<\/p>\n 104. Thomas Harley, D, Stars: Time to acknowledge that Harley has surpassed teammate Miro Heiskanen in fantasy value. The goal-scoring felt unsustainable in 2023-24, but Harley backed it up with another year of high-percentage shooting. So we can feel confident in another 15-goal, 50-point type of year.<\/p>\n 105. Luke Hughes, D, Devils: Easy to forget he\u2019s still just 22 this September. He\u2019s already enough of a scoring threat to be your D2, and the talent and pedigree mean he has the upside to break out and deliver an all-star season. High floor and high ceiling make him a wise investment.<\/p>\n 106. Tom Wilson, RW, Capitals: He\u2019s been an excellent banger-league asset for years now. But I worry about buying high coming off a year in which Wilson scored 33 goals on 19.5 percent shooting when he was 11.9 percent for his career going into 2024-25. Wilson also reached 80 games for the first time in eight years and is 31. Don\u2019t reach.<\/p>\n 107. Shea Theodore, D, Golden Knights: He remains one of the NHL\u2019s best offensive defensemen, averaging 68 points per 82 games over the past three years, but when he never plays anywhere close to 82 games, we can\u2019t call him a 68-point guy. The big chunks of annual missed time make him a 50-point player.<\/p>\n 108. Elias Pettersson, C, Canucks: I still believe in the talent. It\u2019s just a matter of when to invest. If you get him at the right price point, he could turn you a massive profit. He\u2019s only a year removed from being a top-30 fantasy asset, and even Petey at his worst quietly brings some bonus category juice \u2013 including one of the higher block totals of any forward annually.<\/p>\n 109. Sam Montembeault, G, Canadiens: One of the league\u2019s best-kept secrets for a few years now. He was excellent last season but still had suspect defensive play suppressing his surface stats. With the Habs likely to improve again, we could see the true Montembeault breakout this season. Buy.<\/p>\n 110. Mikhail Sergachev, D, Mammoth: The goal total isn\u2019t sustainable given the astronomical shooting percentage, but the rest is. He\u2019s a No. 1 defenseman in his prime in an ascending offense. Lots to like.<\/p>\n 111. Noah Dobson, D, Canadiens: The hype might give him too much draft helium. He\u2019s a great real-life get for Montreal, and at his best he was an elite fantasy blueliner with the Islanders, but is he even a PP1 guy on a team with Hutson? I actually think Dobson\u2019s value drops or at least levels off with the trade.<\/p>\n 112. Bo Horvat, C, Islanders: The numbers slipped a little on a team not good enough to make the playoffs, but Horvat remains a quintessential boring veteran play, an automatic 25-30 goals and 55-60 points.<\/p>\n 113. Anze Kopitar, C, Kings: Not really shooting the puck or scoring many goals nowadays, but the future Hall of Famer is aging gracefully. This version of Kopitar, soon to be 38, is like a poor man\u2019s Robert Thomas in fantasy, helping in assist and points and little else.<\/p>\n 114. Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Avalanche: If and only if you\u2019ve gone safe with your first half dozen picks, it\u2019s OK to grab Nichushkin, who won\u2019t play anywhere close to a full season but is a damn good player when he\u2019s on the ice. His stat line per 82 games over the past four seasons is 35-37-72. Since he may only give you 60 percent of that, he\u2019s a much better pick in head to head, where he can tilt a weekly matchup if he\u2019s healthy and staying clean off the ice.<\/p>\n 115. Dougie Hamilton, D, Devils: The defenseman version of Nichushkin. Will truly boost your team in head-to-head when healthy, as Hamilton remains an excellent offensive player. Will also almost certainly miss a bushel of games. So bid on him with that expectation in mind.<\/p>\n 116. Zach Hyman, RW, Oilers: Throw out the horrible 20-game start, and Hyman scored at a 37-goal pace the rest of the way last season. He can still play. His wrist injury may delay the start of his 2025-26. Like Matthew Tkachuk, Hyman may move quite a bit on this board depending on what updates we get in September.<\/p>\n 117. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Canadiens: The floor is 50 points and 200 hits now. And then we remember he\u2019s only 21. That tells me he\u2019s a good investment, even if it feels like he hasn\u2019t delivered a wire-to-wire consistent season yet.<\/p>\n 118. Miro Heiskanen, D, Stars: We don\u2019t question his superb all-around ability. We should start questioning his durability, though. He has missed double-digit games in three of his past four seasons. We need to bake that risk into his fantasy value now.<\/p>\n 119. Jordan Binnington, G, Blues: Binnington isn\u2019t a particularly exciting pick, but sometimes you just need goaltenders who play a lot on reasonably competitive teams and won\u2019t torpedo your rate stats. That\u2019s him.<\/p>\n 120. Tomas Hertl, C, Golden Knights: The big drop in ice time tells us he\u2019s more support piece than featured player in Vegas, but he can still top out at 30 goals and more than a hit per game.<\/p>\n 121. John Gibson, G, Red Wings: Was excellent last season, and he should see a bit more volume this year, but don\u2019t be fooled into thinking he gets a massive boost in fantasy value. The Red Wings are not a good defensive team, so Gibson should continue getting shelled with chances. Cam Talbot is more 1B than backup and should start 30 games minimum. Gibson can be a respectable mid-range No. 2 goalie for your fantasy club, but he\u2019s not going to carry you.<\/p>\n 122. Stuart Skinner, G, Oilers: This ranking acknowledges the playable volume on a great team. Fine. But Skinner wasn\u2019t even Regular Season Good last year, and it\u2019s possible Edmonton tries to replace him with a mid-season upgrade if he isn\u2019t cutting it by next winter.<\/p>\n 123. Joel Eriksson Ek, C, Wild: Was mostly durable before last season, so I\u2019ll give him a mulligan on playing just 46 games and hope the depressed numbers offer a discounted 25 goals, 200 shots and 125 hits.<\/p>\n 124. Cutter Gauthier, RW, Ducks: Finished his rookie year with 11-11-22 over his final 27 games. On the rise along with his team, could Gauthier be a 30-goal scorer as a sophomore? I say yes.<\/p>\n 125. Sam Bennett, C, Panthers: Don\u2019t let the playoff recency bias get you. Bennett is a bulldozer and deserved his Conn Smythe Trophy, but his career highs in goals and points are 28 and 51, and his smash-happy style typically limits him to around 70 games.<\/p>\n 126. John Carlson, D, Capitals: The ceiling isn\u2019t there anymore for the veteran of 1,088 games, but he\u2019ll dutifully provide 50 points and playable shot and block totals while still getting plenty of power-play time. Carlson is an ideal D2.<\/p>\n 127. Quinton Byfield, C, Kings: The actual production hasn\u2019t yet caught up to the perception of his talent as our tongues wag at his highlight reels. But Byfield will only be 23 when the season starts. It\u2019s not too late for his true breakout campaign. If it doesn\u2019t happen, at least his 20-35-55 floor provides a safety net.<\/p>\n 128. Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Golden Knights: I was not familiar with your game dot gif. We knew Dorofeyev had some scoring punch, but who saw the 35-goal breakout coming? Nothing about it was lucky, but given he\u2019s already exceeded expectations this much, I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing another season at this level before buying in.<\/p>\n 129. Kent Johnson, LW, Blue Jackets: Werenski\u2019s massive year and the Fantilli\/Marchenko breakouts hid Johnson\u2019s progression in plain sight. The 24 goals and 57 points came in just 68 games, too. He\u2019s not going to carry you in multiple categories in a banger format, but the kid has the raw puck skills to assist in points and power-play points.<\/p>\n 130. Charlie McAvoy, D, Bruins: The category juice will always be pretty balanced when he plays. But Boston\u2019s heart-and-soul captain is forever better in real life than fantasy and a pretty consistent injury risk given his playing style.<\/p>\n 131. Owen Tippett, RW, Flyers: Career paths aren\u2019t always linear. I didn\u2019t see last season\u2019s regression coming at 25. But Tippett still offers a nice power forward skill set and has proven pretty durable so far in his career. Maybe his ceiling is lower than expected now that higher-end players are breaking through on the depth chart and he\u2019s not a locked in top-line, PP1 guy.<\/p>\n 132. Rickard Rakell, RW, Penguins: So is the real Rakell the guy who delivered career bests in goals (35) and points (70) last year, or the disappointing 37-point player of the season prior? It makes sense to predict something between the two and hope he\u2019s traded to a contender.<\/p>\n 133. Jakob Chychrun, D, Capitals: Whether he repeats 20 goals again or not, Chychrun has established himself as one of the best annual goal-scoring options among defensemen. Did you know that only Makar and Josi have more in the past six seasons?<\/p>\n 134. Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins: As someone who broke into the NHL relatively late, Rust is quietly already 33. He\u2019s still a trustworthy bet for 25 to 30 goals and someone who can carry you for stretches with his hot streaks. A trade to a better team would eliminate the plus-minus drain.<\/p>\n 135. Mason McTavish, C, Ducks: Yet another Duck who ended last season on a heater, posting a 16-17-33 line across his final 36 games. McTavish also has more possible linemate permutations with Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund in the fray. I\u2019m bullish but not putting him in the must-reach category since Carlsson blocks him from being Anaheim\u2019s alpha center.<\/p>\n 136. Brad Marchand, LW, Panthers: Was tremendous in his Panther rejuvenation. But Playoff Marchand was dominating as a third-liner and might be overvalued in fantasy this season, especially given Florida will have no problem load managing him to keep him fresh for the playoffs. I\u2019d pass.<\/p>\n 137. Jared McCann, LW, Kraken: Toiling in obscurity on a Kraken team that feels irrelevant right now. That said, McCann has never dipped below 22 goals, 50 points or 199 shots during his four years in Seattle. He\u2019s a solid depth add in the late middle rounds.<\/p>\n 138. Frederik Andersen, G, Hurricanes: Good goalie, great team, massive injury risk. Andersen can be a plug-in starter or year-long G2 in leagues that prioritize rate stats. In volume-heavy leagues weighing wins, saves and shutouts heavier, pick Andersen a round or two later.<\/p>\n 139. Karel Vejmelka, G, Mammoth: Like Dostal and Montembeault, Vejmelka is an above-average goalie who has been hiding on a mediocre team on the verge of a glow-up. You could target offense in the early rounds, wait and pick those three as your goalies and look like a genius when all three end up top-15 at their position in 2025-26<\/p>\n 140. Josh Norris, C, Sabres: Norris feels like a maddening player who can\u2019t stay healthy long enough to maximize his potential. But he does damage when he plays, averaging 31 goals, 54 points, 173 shots and 133 hits per 82 games for his career. When he\u2019s in your lineup, he will help you; just understand he won\u2019t be in your lineup that often.<\/p>\n 141. Alexis Lafreniere, RW, Rangers: All the under-the-hood gains in his game, from shot generation to high-danger chances to expected goals, evaporated last season, to the point his great 2023-24 season is, statistically, the anomaly rather than the breakout. Most concerning is that the regression coincided with linemate Panarin\u2019s. If the Bread Man\u2019s decline has begun, is Lafreniere back to being the underachiever? Turning 24 in October, he\u2019s still young enough to reverse the trend again, and he\u2019ll cost less to acquire this time, so you could do worst for post-hype dice rolls.<\/p>\n 142. Erik Karlsson, D, Penguins: As a lowly Penguin, he\u2019ll gouge your plus-minus but chip in 10 goals and 50 points. On a new team\u2026he could easily jump 25 spots on this list. Feels like we\u2019re holding our breath on so many Pens players to be dealt, eh?<\/p>\n 143. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, C, Oilers: Averaged his fewest points per game in eight years last season. We can\u2019t write that off as nothing given he\u2019s 14 seasons into his career. The Nuge may be declining, though he can still help you in assists and power-play points as a 50-point guy.<\/p>\n 144. Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks: His shooting talent is undeniable, but I prefer my goal-scorers to be high-volume guys who put approximately twice as many pucks on goal as Boeser did last season. He maintains that 25-25-50 floor but won\u2019t be a 40-goal guy again when he\u2019s only firing the biscuit 145 times.<\/p>\n 145. Pavel Buchnevich, LW, Blues: If you\u2019re reaching on a trendy rookie or breakout, you want to be extremely confident in him exceeding 20 goals and 55 points; if not, take Buchnevich instead for that guaranteed veteran production.<\/p>\n 146. Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks: The breakout is real, and he\u2019s Anaheim\u2019s most important blueliner now. I\u2019m not so sure he exceeds what he did last year given he\u2019s no lock to man PP1. A better real-life player than fantasy one, though it\u2019s clear now he has more offensive upside than we thought.<\/p>\n 147. Will Smith, C, Sharks: Raise your hand if you knew he had 30 points in 34 games to close out the season \u2013 with a positive plus-minus over that span, too. Celebrini is the better all-around player, but Smith\u2019s scoring upside is actually pretty similar, and the breakout looms.<\/p>\n 148. Artturi Lehkonen, LW, Avalanche: In fantasy, he and Nichushkin bleed together as top-six Colorado wingers who miss lots of action and produce when healthy. Lehkonen\u2019s upside is just a bit lower, but he could score 30 goals if he ever played a full season.<\/p>\n 149. Jonathan Marchessault, RW, Predators: Let\u2019s hope he doesn\u2019t kill us with a minus-29 again, as the rest of his contributions remain valuable: at least 20 goals, 50 points and 200 shots, with upside for a mild uptick if he\u2019s traded.<\/p>\n 150. Joey Daccord, G, Kraken: He has the fifth-best save percentage in the NHL over the past two seasons among goalies with at least 50 games played. I don\u2019t love his team situation with the Seattle Kraken<\/a>, but Daccord has proven himself valuable regardless.<\/p>\n 151. Thatcher Demko, G, Canucks: I would\u2019ve been more excited about Demko\u2019s fantasy value had he chosen a new team in free agency. The Canucks are paying Kevin Lankinen far too much for him to be a pure backup; he\u2019s a 1B who probably starts 40 percent of Vancouver\u2019s games next season. The capped playing time upside, injury risk and volatile team play make me unlikely to target Demko in drafts, as talented as he is.<\/p>\n 152. Gabe Vilardi, RW, Jets: Somewhat of a specialist. He can bury 25 goals for you, many of them on the power play, and is never a great bet to play a full season. Instead of the brand name like Boeser, you can probably get Vilardi at least a round later and receive similar production.<\/p>\n 153. William Eklund, LW, Sharks: Celebrini, Smith and, soon, Michael Misa get the fanfare, but Eklund is that other Sharks first-round forward making strides. Playmakers never have the same upside as goal-scorers, but you don\u2019t have to squint hard to envision 65 points.<\/p>\n 154. Joseph Woll, G, Maple Leafs: The first backup or 1B in the rankings. Woll was a top-10 goalie in per-game fantasy value last season, and while Stolarz is the starter, Woll should still start 30 games at minimum, with the upside for more given Stolarz\u2019s propensity to get dinged up. \u00a0<\/p>\n 155. Juuse Saros, G, Predators: For rate stats, you go with someone like Woll on a good team. If you need volume and lots of it: Saros is your man instead. He\u2019s no longer an elite fantasy option given Nashville\u2019s stock is way down, but he\u2019s still a workhorse who should rank among the NHL leaders in starts, shots faced and saves.<\/p>\n 156. Tyler Toffoli, RW, Sharks: Nine 20-goal seasons and four 30-goal seasons, three of which have come in his past three campaigns. Toffoli\u2019s plus-minus may hurt, but he deserves more love overall. Boeser for example has one 30-goal season!<\/p>\n 157. Marco Rossi, C, Wild: I don\u2019t understand the disrespect. He jumps to 60 points as a sophomore while spending much of the year as Minnesota\u2019s first-line center, and he\u2019s a fourth-liner by the playoffs? I have to price the confusing deployment into his ranking. If it continues, does he regress to a 40-point player? If the Wild wise up, is he an 80-point player? The range of outcomes is so damn wide.<\/p>\n 158. Brock Nelson, C, Avalanche: The goal total has declined three straight seasons as Nelson creeps into his mid-30s. Playing on a better team might keep his floor at 25 goals and 50 points, but he also played almost two fewer minutes per game after being traded to Colorado and isn\u2019t a lock for regular PP1 work. Trending down.<\/p>\n 159. Jeremy Swayman, G, Bruins: We can throw last season out the window\u2026or can we? Maybe Swayman was hindered by reporting to the team late because of his contract negotiation. But the team in front of him looks like, at most, the sixth-best in its division. I believe in the talent but not the team, so I\u2019m probably out on Swayman this year.<\/p>\n 160. Nick Schmaltz, RW, Mammoth: 23-35-59, 22-36-58. 22-39-61, 20-43-63 are his past four season lines. Talk about consistent. I like him as an underrated depth guy for points and assists, but I\u2019m not too aggressive with the ranking as the improved Mammoth have more competition for prime deployment in their top six now.<\/p>\n 161. Aliaksei Protas, RW, Capitals: My interior monologue: \u201cHe scored 30 goals\u2026he\u2019s big\u2026he\u2019s a matchup nightmare\u2026he also shot 21.1 percent\u2026he doesn\u2019t play on the power play at all.\u201d If a player confuses me, I\u2019d rather avoid him than try to guess his fantasy value going forward. Incredible find for the Caps in real life, though. I applaud them.<\/p>\n 162. Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Capitals: If we zoom out, that terrible year in L.A. was PLD\u2019s only bad output in his past four seasons. Otherwise he\u2019s been a 20-goal, 60-point player every time out.<\/p>\n 163. Cole Perfetti, LW, Jets: As the Jets\u2019 depth dwindles, they\u2019ll need Perfetti more and more. He\u2019s a probable beneficiary of Ehlers\u2019 departure. I\u2019d expect a jump in ice time and a point total closer to 60, albeit with a modest goal number.<\/p>\n 164. Steven Stamkos, C, Predators: Most concerning about his disastrous debut season with the Preds was that his shooting percentage didn\u2019t drop. He wasn\u2019t snakebitten; he just saw far fewer looks on an extremely disappointing team. At 35, he\u2019s unlikely to reverse the trend. Maybe he surprises us with a 30-30-60 kind of year, but why gamble on that? Let someone else pay for the name.<\/p>\n 165. Will Cuylle, LW, Rangers: Even if he simply maintains what he did last year, a 20-25-45 player who tops 300 hits is plenty valuable. But there\u2019s clearly upside to improve on that if Cuylle can be a regular top-six forward and PP2 guy all year. A wise buy in banger formats.<\/p>\n 166. Dylan Cozens, C, Senators: Playing on a better team now, scored at a 62-point pace after being dealt to Ottawa, and he almost doubled his career high in hits last year, cresting 200. Post-hype sleeper.<\/p>\n 167. Marco Kasper, C, Red Wings: Wrapped up a 15-game pointless streak Jan. 7. His pace from that point onward: 25 goals, 59 points, 185 hits. He found himself as a two-way forward and he\u2019s arrived as a top-six contributor. One of my favorite breakout picks for 2025-26.<\/p>\n 168. Devon Toews, D, Avalanche: 10 goals and 40 points like clockwork and maintains a super high floor since he\u2019s always playing with Makar.<\/p>\n 169. Matt Coronato, RW, Flames: If we factor in the first-round pedigree and that he\u2019s scored at every stop of his career, the 24-goal breakout feels real. And a jump to 30 doesn\u2019t feel like a stretch for the 22-year-old.<\/p>\n 170. Ivan Barbashev, LW, Golden Knights: Not a ton of upside, but 20 goals and 45 points with a triple-digit hit total makes him safe to roster all year in any league medium or larger.<\/p>\n 171. Chris Kreider, LW, Ducks: Too soon to declare him totally cooked. He\u2019s 34, not 40, and his net-front ability should earn him power-play time in Anaheim. He can still bag us 25 goals.<\/p>\n 172. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Hurricanes: The journeyman always makes for a good Zero D play. He lacks the upside of the bigger fantasy stars, but he still racks up points working the top power play on a strong team. Safe pick.<\/p>\n 173. Drew Doughty, D, Kings: Still holding off Brandt Clarke for top dog status on the Kings\u2019 blueline. I\u2019m not too worried that Doughty only played 30 games last season, as the injury was of the freak variety, but he has a lot of mileage at 35, so the downside is real.<\/p>\n 174. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Wild: 38 this September and doesn\u2019t even reach 20 goals anymore, but he\u2019s draftable for assists and points as long as he remains stapled to Kaprizov\u2019s line.<\/p>\n 175. Trevor Zegras, C, Flyers: Hey, even the down-in-the-dumps, broken version of Zegras still managed 18 goals and 47 points in 88 games over the past two seasons. The floor is higher than many people realize, and so is the ceiling if he can stick on Michkov\u2019s line. At Zegras\u2019 probable price point, this is a fun swing to take.<\/p>\n 176. Kiefer Sherwood, RW, Canucks: Surprising myself ranking a grinder this high. But hear me out: he broke the NHL\u2019s single-season hits record by 69 hits last season. He singlehandedly wins you the category weekly in H2H. He also chipped in 19 goals and 40 points last season, so he\u2019s hardly a zero on offense.<\/p>\n 177. Brandon Montour, D, Kraken: one of the better sources of shots and goals among blueliners, and he comes cheaper now that he\u2019s in relative obscurity as a Kraken.<\/p>\n 178. Pyotr Kochetkov, G, Hurricanes: I\u2019ve been bullish on him taking over as Carolina\u2019s starter for years, but he has to play well for that to happen. Kochetkov is coming off a down year, and the 1A job remains Andersen\u2019s when he\u2019s healthy.<\/p>\n 179. Rasmus Andersson, D, Flames: He provides at least 10 goals and 30 points and a beefy block total. He\u2019s also a minus-49 over the past two seasons, so he\u2019s someone to avoid in certain formats unless the Flames trade him to a top-tier contender.<\/p>\n 180. Morgan Geekie, LW, Bruins: Careful. The 33 goals and 110 hits turned his managers a nice profit last season. That came on 22.0 percent shooting. Good chance last season goes down as a career year. I recommended letting an opposing GM pay to see if Geekie duplicates it.<\/p>\n 181. Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, Flames: Last season was his best during a crushingly disappointing Calgary tenure. The huge ice time increase helped. I\u2019m not sure the 28 goals happen again given they came with the highest shooting percentage of his career.<\/p>\n 182. Vince Dunn, D, Kraken: Injuries have slowed him down the past couple years, but it was encouraging to see him and Montour coexist rather than cancel each other\u2019s value out. Dunn remains an above-average fantasy option and passable third D-man.<\/p>\n 183. Aaron Ekblad, D, Panthers: He feels so much older than 29, doesn\u2019t he? Whether it\u2019s injuries or a PED ban, something typically keeps him from playing a full season. His shot and goal output are also way down. So while his floor as a No. 1 blueliner makes him draftable, the upside isn\u2019t there anymore. Maybe not worth the headache.<\/p>\n 184. Patrick Kane, RW, Red Wings: He probably plays three quarters of a season, tops 50 points and helps Detroit\u2019s power play again. But given he\u2019s 37 in November, we don\u2019t need to invest too high of a pick to find that out unless you\u2019re in a deep league. In shallow or medium, he\u2019s a great waiver-wire stopgap if one of your stars gets injured.<\/p>\n 185. Frank Vatrano, LW, Ducks: Averaging 29 goals, 53 points, 255 shots and 164 hits per game over his past two years. Excellent. But we should be mindful of the Ducks\u2019 improvement. Vatrano isn\u2019t necessarily even top-six forward on this team anymore, so the ice time and production could dip.<\/p>\n 186. Gustav Forsling, D, Panthers: Doesn\u2019t do power-play damage, but he\u2019s underrated in certain scoring formats as a blueliner who gets double-digit goals and is a virtual lock for a difference-making plus-minus. His plus-166 in the past five years ranks second in the NHL<\/p>\n 187. Evgeni Malkin, C, Penguins: He may be the most underrated superstar of all-time. I tip my cap to Geno. But he\u2019s in pretty rapid decline now at 39 playing on a potential lottery team. No reason to draft him in shallow leagues unless he falls in your lap very late.<\/p>\n 188. Anthony Cirelli, C, Lightning: Doesn\u2019t need to score to be a great player given his defensive ability. Last year\u2019s 27 goals and 59 points felt like gravy and clash with his previous career output. Averaged 18-26-44 in his previous seven seasons, so I feel more comfortable projecting him for that.<\/p>\n 189. Pavel Zacha, LW, Bruins: A safe source of 15-plus goals and 45-plus points, but medium-leaguers are better off chasing upside and, if they whiff, snagging a Zacha type off the wire later in the year.<\/p>\n 190. Elias Lindholm, C, Bruins: See above. Their production was almost identical last year. I lean toward Zacha as the younger player. Neither guy excites me much this season.<\/p>\n